I am so excited to show you these amazing photographs of Jeremy and Rachel's wedding taken by Shane and Lauren Photography. Earlier this year I met Rachel. She and my childhood friend Crystal started an online boutique called Boutique Dernier Cri. It has romantic and whimsical fashion with vintage flair--basically it looks like clothes for a modern fairytale character. After I helped create their mermaid logo, Rachel asked me if I could paint a fairytale woodland scene for her wedding invitations. I was honored and it sounded like so much fun! I love to look at fairytale illustrations but to create my own scene made my imagination run wild.

Rachel is a big Snow White fan (aren't we all?) and had a beautiful vision for her fairytale wedding with her real life prince. I must admit this was my first time working on anything wedding invitation related (I didn't even plan my own wedding- we eloped! It was a no-stress, tropical wedding on Maui). Anyway, she was so sweet and told me her idea of having it be the forest scene with a castle in the background. She invited me to look at her private Pinterest board where she had been collecting all of her inspirations. I think this is such a great way to work with clients! I was really able to get a feel for her aesthetic and the colors she was using (dark greens, deep shades of purple). I really appreciate how she trusted me and gave me the freedom to create. But this really would not have happened with out Rachel's vision. I love that this painting is not just an illustration of a "woodland scene with fairytale castle" but a symbol of the sweet life that these two lovebirds will have together. I love that the scene begins in the forest surrounded by enchanting plants and creatures. The way the castle is off in the distance is a good reminder to remain hopeful and a promise of the future, but even in the forest there is beauty in the present.

This really was a joy to paint. You can buy a print of it in my shop and you can even buy a photography backdrop of it here. Here are a few snapshots of their Snow White themed engagement photos. SO ADORABLE! You can see more here!

And now I must share a few of the shots from this enchanting, magical, and romantic wedding!

You can see more pictures of the handsome groom, the stunning bride, and the breathtaking wedding here. Thank you Shane and Lauren for the amazing photos you captured!

Happy Spring! Ours was looking so wonderful this past month. The fields were green, buds grew on trees, flowers swayed, and butterflies hatched.

Then came the 90 degree weather.

It started yesterday. I am praying it goes away! It gets really hot where we are at and once that sun starts beating it kills everything.

Soooo, anyway....let's keep our spirits bright and celebrate with a sale! April 8th-16th you can use the coupon code SPRING30 at checkout for 30% off your entire purchase in my shop. Easter is coming up, lots of birthdays, and Mother's Day will be here before you know it. In my family we give female a little present. I always loved that growing up :)

This weekend my husband took the kids and me out to get some Jack in the Box. We took it to a nearby grassy area and had fun exploring. And to keep things real I will include this picture.

My husband was making fun of me because I didn't want to sit on the ground. There were ants! No, there were GIANT ants. So he claimed I couldn't handle nature, but perhaps it is just that I can't handle bugs. Particularly ones that BITE.This coming weekend will be busy because a friend of ours is having her wedding. I will be taking pictures and my husband will be playing the guitar during the ceremony. She is such a sweetie, so this will be fun :)

Do you want to build a snowman?Or....do you want to take some easy Frozen themed pictures of your kids? We would love to build a snowman, but we live in a very sunny valley of Southern California! These pictures were completely spur of the moment, but they turned out so cute! No elaborate costumes or props needed. My mom bought the Frozen DVD and the kids insisted on borrowing it. And watching it over. And over. And over.My niece was visiting during her college Spring Break and we were so blessed that she wanted to come spend it with us instead of seeing her off to a week in Cabo, ha ha! Cora has been a subject for my mom's and my photography since she was a baby, so she doesn't think twice when we pull out a camera! The kiddos wanted to dress up as Anna and Kristoff, so all we needed were some braids and a dress for Clara (we got lucky that she already had red hair!) and then a hat for Calvin. Cora, my niece, was wearing a blue shirt and had the cutest headband that we tucked her hair into Elsa-style. Calvin brought along a reindeer puppet to be Sven and then we just walked around our neighborhood and snapped some photos. It was so much fun! I love these easy kind of photoshoots because there is NO STRESS. We didn't put a lot of time into getting ready for it. We didn't even travel far. We just took a walk! Stopped and snapped! You could easily do this with your kids too and have the sweetest pictures. Beautiful and cute pictures don't have to cost hundreds of dollars.